I'll Always Find My Way Back To You
by iheartfinchel0
Summary: What happens after Finn leaves Rachel & goes back to Ohio? How will Rachel deal with all of this? Go through the journey of Finn's new life in Ohio, & Rachel's new life in New York. 4x4 & possible 4x5 spoilers. Set during & after 4x4
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! So this is probably the longest story I've ever written, so it's going to be divided up into chapters. This is just kind of what I would like to happen later on in the season. I'm also going to be updating Start Of Something New, & Brittana Love Stories soon, so keep an eye out for that :)  
**  
"It's probably Kurt, hold on." Rachel Berry got up from her comfortable spot on the floor with Brody. She fixed her hair and unwrinkled her clothes, trying to cover up the evidence of her making out with him.****

Rachel opened the door, fully expecting to see her gay best friend and roommate Kurt, raving about how amazing his new internship at Vogue is. Instead, a familiar face stared back at her. A face she didn't think she would see in a long time.****

_Finn Hudson._****

Finn smiled at her, but then his expression quickly changed and his features hardened when he saw Brody sitting up and walking towards them.****

For the first time ever, Rachel was speechless. A million questions flew through her mind. Why was he here? Why isn't he in uniform? Why didn't he call?****

Brody sensed the tension going on, and headed towards the door. "I'll just, um, leave you two alone to talk. Call me later, okay?"****

Rachel was still too surprised to answer back. He gave her one last look, and headed out the apartment.****

"F-Finn. What are you doing here?" Rachel stammered.****

"I came to see you. I haven't seen you in months and I just needed to see if you were okay," Finn said, his voice starting to crack, indicating he was close to crying. "But you, uh, seem to be doing just fine here. Obviously I interrupted something that was going on between you and that guy."****

"Don't go blaming this on me, Finn. Ever since I got here, I've been miserable. My dance teacher's a monster, girls in my class make fun of me and my clothes much worse than Quinn, Santana, and Brittany ever did, and I was all alone. I had nobody here. And when I met Brody, I was grateful to have a friend. And yeah, maybe Brody and I are a little more than 'just friends' now, but you broke up with me. You set me free, and I didn't know what to do."****

The look on Finn's face was pure sadness. He didn't realize she would move on so fast.****

"Why aren't you in the army," Rachel deadpanned.****

"I was discharged. I kind of accidentally shot my foot."****

"What?!" Rachel looked like she was about to explode.****

"Don't worry, I'm okay now. I can walk on it," Finn reassured her**.**

"Why didn't you call me?" Rachel asked. "I've been here, worried sick that you could get yourself killed at any second."

"I couldn't call you, Rachel. They took away my phone during basic training.**"**  
**  
**Rachel lookeddown at her feet, picking at an invisiblestring on her shirt.  
**  
**"Look Rach, I don't expect you to forgive me yet, but I don't have any other place to go."****

Rachel thought for a moment. "Fine, you can stay here. But you're sleeping on the couch."****

"Great. Thank you."**  
**  
**"**Whatever**."** Rachel went to her room, slammed the door, and didn't come out fo**r **the rest of the night.  
**  
Chapter 2 should be up soon. Please review, it would make me so happy :) Also, check out my tumblr, .com.  
-Zoey :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's chapter 2! Hope you like it!**

Finn woke up and made breakfast for Rachel the next morning, hoping she wouldn't be as mad as she was yesterday.  
**  
**"What's all this?" Rachel asked as she walked into the kitchen.****

"I, uh, made breakfast," Finn smiled, and handed her a plate of vegan waffles.****

"That's really sweet. Thank you."****

"Anything for you, Rach."  
**  
**They ate in silence, until they heard keys jingling outside, and the apartment door opened, revealing a very tired-looking Kurt.****

"Finn? Is that you, or are my eyes playing tricks on me?"****

"No, it's really me." Finn got up and hugged his stepbrother.****

Finn told Kurt everything he told Rachel, about how he got here and why he was here. Kurt just stood in disbelief.****

"Wow," he finally said. "So I guess that means you're staying here then."****

"Yeah, until I figure out where to go."****

"Well, I'm happy you're here, even though I'm still mad about what you did to Rachel."****

"Hey Kurt, why didn't you come home last night?" Rachel asked. "I was getting kind of worried."****

"Oh, Isabelle and I pulled an all-nighter, coming up with designs and ideas for her new clothing line. It's really coming along great," he said. "Look, I hate to go out again, but I have to be back at the office to meet with Isabelle to talk about fabrics and prints. See you guys later."****

"Bye," Rachel grumbled, and went back into her room, only coming out to use the bathroom.

* * *

****A week later, Finn was packing his bags when Rachel walked in the apartment after a tough day of dance class from hell.****

"What are you doing?" She asked him, eying his duffel bag.  
**  
**"I know you don't want me here, Rachel. I can see you're still mad at me, and I don't want to be here if all we're going to do is fight. I'm going back to Ohio."****

"Are you serious?" Rachel shouted. "I thought we were going to work this out!"****

"I don't belong here, don't you see? You have this amazing new life here and I don't fit in."****

"Fine, go. But just know that if you leave, then there's no hope of us ever getting back together. Not after betraying me for a second time.****

"Rachel, I'm not betraying you. I'm letting you live your life. And we don't have to break up. We can still make this work, even though I'll be in Ohio, Finn pleaded.  
**  
**"Long distance relationships never work out, Finn!" Rachel yelled in frustration. "Look what happened to Kurt and Blaine! They're broken up now because of long distance and because Blaine cheated on him. How will I know you won't do the same?"****

"Because there will never be a girl who I'll love more than you," Finn simply stated.****

"I can't do this anymore, Finn," Rachel said, tears spilling down her cheeks. "We need to break up. At least for now."****

"So that's it, huh? We're just going to throw away everything we had in high school? Well if that's really what you want, then fine. Just know that I'm never giving up on you. I'll fight for you if that's what it takes," Finn replied, now crying as well.  
**  
**"Just go," Rachel whispered.****

"I love you Rachel. I'll always will," Finn said, then walked out the door.  
**  
**Heavy sobs took over Rachel's body, and she just collapsed on the floor, crying harder than she's ever had before.

* * *

A couple hours later, Kurt walked into the apartment and spotted Rachel sitting on the floor, still crying.****

"He left, didn't he?" Kurt asked, already knowing the answer. "Rachel, if he broke up with you, then it's his loss bec-"****

"He didn't break up with me," Rachel interrupted. "I broke up with him."****

"What? Why?" Now Kurt was really confused. "I thought you guys were going to work things out."****

"Yeah, I thought so too, but i just can't do it anymore. Things are too complicated right now, and I need to focus on myself for a little while."****

"Well, if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm right here. Don't forget, I'm going through the same thing you are right now."****

"I'm really sorry about you and Blaine," Rachel said, leaning on his shoulder.****

"You know, I'm not," Kurt replied. "I mean, Blaine and I never really had a break up before, and I know that we're meant to be together, so there's hope for us. We just need some space for now. I also know the same for you and Finn. You two are meant to be together and you will be some day. Don't give up on him."

Rachel sighed. "I'm really tired, Kurt. I'm going to go to sleep. See you in the morning." She got up, and went back to her room, crying for the rest of the night.****

Thanks for reading! If you can, please take the time to review this, I'd love to hear what you think of this story. Chapter 3 should be up soon :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Here's chapter 3! Hope you like it!**

_Home sweet home_, Finn thought to himself as he pulled to McKinley High School.****

He called his mom earlier that day, telling her that he was coming home, and Carol was beyond thrilled. She missed her son so much, and insisted that he stayed at her house while he was in Lima, which Finn was grateful for. He missed his old room.****

He got out of his truck and walked up to the school. He opened the doors, and walked through the empty halls, determined to find his old Glee Club teacher.****

"Mr. Schue!" Finn yelled when he saw him in his office.  
**  
**"Finn! It's good to see you! Why are you here? What happened to the army?" Mr. Schue asked.  
**  
**"Uh, the army didn't really work out."****

"Well have you seen Rachel? She's been worried sick about you."****

"Things kind of ended on a bad note for us. Lets just say, I didn't fit into her new life."****

"I'm really sorry, Finn," Mr. Schue said, patting his former student on the shoulder. "Well, now that you're here, is there any chance that you would be interested in helping me out with the glee club?"****

"Yeah, of course," Finn said. "I can't wait to see everyone again."

Mr. Schue and Finn walked into the choir room, and the whole room screamed in surprise.****

"Finn! You're back! And not dead!" Tina yelled, giving him a huge hug.****

"I've missed all of you guys," Finn said, a big smile appeared on his face. He hadn't been this happy in a long time.****

"Do you have any idea who that is?" Marley asked Jake.  
**  
**"No clue," he replied back.****

"For those of you who don't know, this is Finn Hudson. Glee club extraordinaire!" Artie souted, and high-fived Finn.****

After Finn hugged everyone, he took a seat next to Sam and Blaine while Mr. Schue started talking.****

"Alright guys, it's time for the fall musical this year, so here's a list of all the appropriate ones we can do," Mr**. **Schue said, handing everyone the sheet of musical ideas.****

"How 'bout we do Grease?" Finn spoke up. "It's appropriate for all ages, it's about high school, and the songs rock."****

"That's a great idea," Mr. Schue said, everyone nodding in agreement. "Grease it is then!"

* * *

Rachel was miserable. She thought that after breaking up with Finn and focusing on herself, she would be happier, but she wasn't. Her dance teacher was still awful to her, other girls still made fun of her, and she missed Finn. She tried to push away her feelings for him, but whenever she saw a very tall guy, or some new boy in her dance class that can't dance to save his life, he thought of Finn. She was crazy to think that she could just forget about him. So here she was now, sitting on a bench in Central Park, staring at pictures of Finn on her phone, and crying.****

"Hey Rachel! Long time, no see." Rachel looked up and saw Brody walking up to her, smiling.  
**  
**"Oh, hi Brody," Rachel said, wiping her teary eyes, which didn't go unnoticed by him.****

"You miss him, huh. Finn."****

"I'm really sorry things didn't work out between us. It's just-"****

"No, I get it. No one can compare to Finn. He's the only love of your life."****

"I'm really sorry."****

"No, I am. I took advantage of you while you were fragile, and I shouldn't have done that. You belong with Finn."**  
**  
"So you're saying that I shouldget back together with him?" Rachel asked.  
**  
**"I mean, the happiest you've been this entire time was when Finn was here, and now that you two are broken up, you're more depressed and upset, and it's starting to worry me."

"Even if I apologized to Finn, he still wouldn't forgive me. I really hurt him, and now I've ruined everything."**  
**  
"Just give it some time, Rachel," Brody said. "It will all work out in the end."****

"You really think so?"****

"Yep. Now come on, I'll walk you to class."

* * *

"Hey Finn, can I talk to you for a minute?" Mr. Schue asked Finn as they sat down in his office.****

"Yeah, sure."****

"So you know how I was selected for the Blue Ribbon Panel, right? Well, I'm going to be in DC for a few months, and I was wondering if you would like to take over the glee club while I'm gone."****

"A-are you you sure, Mr. Schue? I mean, I'm flattered and all, but are you sure I'm right for the job?"****

"Yeah, I really am, Finn. I've been watching you struggle with finding your dreams last year, and I heard you say that you were interested in teaching music. So here's your chance."****

"I'd love to, Mr. Schue. Thank you so much!" Finn got up and hugged his favorite teacher.****

"Now just remember that this is a huge responsibility. I trust you, so don't mess this up."

"I promise."****

"Alright Finn, see you tomorrow."

* * *

"Okay guys, I have a big announcement to share. I have been selected for the Blue Ribbon Panel, and I'm going to be in DC for a couple months, so Finn is going to take over for a little while. How does that sound?" Mr. Schue waited to hear the response from his students.**  
**  
"Noway, that's awesome! Finn's gonna be our teacher!" Sam shouted and high-fived Finn. The others did the same.****

"Don't worry Mr. Schue, we'll miss you, even though Finn's probably going to be a more fun teacher than you," Brittany said innocently.****

"Thanks, Britt," Mr. Schue said. "Alright, well I guess I'll leave you in Finn's capable hands. Don't burn down the place!"****

Tell me what you think so far in the reviews. Talk to me and ask me questions on my tumblr, .com. :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Here's chapter 4. I added some Klaine in it because I'm really upset about their break up as well. :'(**

"Hey Blaine. So I'm not sure if we're broken up or not, but I really think we should talk about everything, so please call me back. I-I love you." Kurt hung up the phone and joined Rachel, who was sitting on the couch, watching a Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills marathon.

"Your phone is vibrating. I can hear it from the other room," Rachel said a few minutes after Kurt settled on the couch.

Kurt ran to his room and picked up the phone. "Blaine! Thank god you called back."

"Yeah, I knew it was time to talk," Blaine said on the other line.

"So what happened with you and this random guy?" Kurt asked.

"I don't want to get into details, but we didn't do anything. I shouldn't have even called it a hookup because it really wasn't. He was just comforting me because I was lonely."

"What's his name? Do I know him?"

His name is Eli, and no, you don't know him. He's a new Warbler."

"And you promise you didn't do anything with him?"

"I promise, Kurt."

"Then let's just pretend this never happened, okay? Just as long as you don't see him again."

"I love you so much Kurt, you have no idea."

"I love you too, Blaine," Kurt grinned. "I'll call you later. Okay, bye."

"Who was that?" Rachel asked when Kurt walked back into the living room.

"It was Blaine. We're, uh, we're getting back together."

"That's great, Kurt. I'm so happy for you guys," Rachel said, trying to be as happy as possible for her best friend. It was hard though, watching everyone around her being in love. Even Brody found a new girlfriend. It sucked being all alone.

* * *

Finn sat in the front row of the auditorium, feeling like a proud parent, while the New Directions, along with some football players and Cheerios were on stage, singing and acting all the songs from Grease. He directed the whole musical, with a little help from Artie, and it turned out great. Marley played a fantastic Sandy, and Jake made a pretty good Danny as well. As much as Finn loved watching them do this musical, he couldn't help but tear up, remembering that the six original members, including himself, sang Grease for their first glee club rehearsal. It felt like a million years ago, yet time went by so quickly.

The audience gave them a standing ovation when it was over, and Finn wished Mr. Schue was here to see it.

He was going back to his truck to drive home, when he overheard Blaine on the phone.

"Kurt? Yeah, it was amazing. You would have loved it, everyone did a fabulous job. Alright, I'll call you later. Love you."

"Hey dude," Finn said, walking up to Blaine. "Was that Kurt?"

"Yeah, he wanted to know how the musical went."

"So are you two still broken up, or..."

"No, we're back together," Blaine smiled. "We talked about it, and I realized it was a stupid mistake and we agreed to move past it."

"That's...That's great," Finn said, wishing he could be as happy as Kurt and Blaine right now.

Later that night, Finn went through his old boxes in his room, looking at pictures of the New Directions at all their competitions, senior ditch day, and prom. He thought back to that night six months ago when everything was perfect. He and Rachel were going to get married, and they had won prom king and queen. That was the best night of his life. He would do anything to go back in time and relive the past year.

* * *

"I wonder how Quinn is," Rachel said, as she and Kurt were taking a stroll through Central Park. "No one's heard from her. I hope she's okay."

"Oh, I'm sure she's doing fine," Kurt said. "Let's just hope she didn't get pregnant again. Or put into a wheelchair."

They got home a couple hours later, and Kurt was making dinner, when they heard a knock at the door.

**Dun dun dun. Haha. Who do you think it is? Sorry this chapter is so short, the next one will be longer. Tell me what you think in the reviews :)**


	5. Chapter 5

Rachel went over to open the door, secretly hoping it was Finn.

"Oh my god!" Rachel shrieked at the figure standing outside the door. "Santana, what are you doing here? What happened to-"

Santana cut Rachel off by giving her a huge hug. "I've missed you, Hobbit," she smiled.

"Well well well, if it isn't Lady Hummel," the Latina sauntered into the apartment, giving Kurt a hug as well. "It's great to see you."

* * *

"So, tell us everything. What have you been doing for the past 4 months?" Kurt asked as Santana made herself some popcorn and sat down on the couch across from him and Rachel.

"Well," Santana started, her mouth full of popcorn, "I spent the whole summer with Brittany, and in September, I had to go to Louisville to set up my dorm room. I was there for a couple of months, but I didn't feel at home there. And then I realized, I don't want to be a cheerleader for the rest of my life. I want to be an actress, or a singer, or even a model. So I packed up my stuff, bought a plane ticket, and came here."

"Well, if you need a place to stay, you're welcome here," Kurt said.

"Thanks guys. It will only be for a few days until I find a place of my own."

* * *

A few days turned into a few weeks, which eventually turned into 2 months, and Santana was still living with Kurt and Rachel. They didn't have a problem with it of course, because Santana was like family to them, and she helps pay the rent.

"Who ever would have thought that the three of us would be living together in New York?" Santana chuckled one day, while she and Rachel were making breakfast. "I'm really sorry I was such a bitch to you in high school."

"It's okay," Rachel laughed. "I kind of deserved it most of the time anyways."

"So, have you heard anything from Finn lately?" Santana asked, changing the subject.

"No, but Kurt heard from Blaine that he's now taking over the glee club."

"Oh, wow. Let's see how well that goes," Santana said sarcastically.

"Shut up," Rachel smirked, throwing a pillow at her. "Hey, it's 11:30. Don't you have your new job?"

Santana had just gotten a job as a new model for the Macy's catalog and was beyond thrilled that she was finally doing something that she truly loved. She also worked at a music store, and her boss let her sing on the job, which was pretty awesome.

"Oh crap, that's right!" Santana grabbed her purse and ran out the door. "See you later!"

* * *

Finn was looking through a bunch of clothing magazines, trying to find something for his mom's birthday. He picked up a catalog and couldn't believe what he saw. It was Santana modeling a bunch of fall clothes on every single page. He looked on the back of the catalog to see where it was made. New York City. Of course.

Finn knew that Santana would find her way to New York. He knew that cheerleading wasn't her passion. He was happy that she was finally making a living for herself.

He looked up at the clock hanging in the choir room. It was 4:30 pm. Glee rehearsal just ended, and Finn didn't feel like going home just yet. He heard footsteps from outside the room, looked up, and saw his former teacher walking towards him.

"Mr. Schue! How was DC? It's great to see you."

"Hey Finn! DC was great, but I'm glad to be home. How is everything?"

"Everything's great. Artie and I directed Grease and it went perfectly. I really loved being a teacher."

"That's great, Finn. I actually wanted to talk to you about that."

"Okay," Finn nodded.

"Before I came back, I asked all the kids what they thought about you being their glee coach, and they all said that you were amazing. So, I did some research and found out that Columbia University in New York has an amazing music teaching program, and one of my colleagues works there now, and I told him about you and everything you've done, and now he really wants to know more about you."

"Are you serious?" Finn asked in shock. "So I might actually get accepted into a college?"

"Yes Finn, there is a good chance. From everything I told him, he really likes you."

"Thank you so much, Mr. Schue, this is the best news ever." Finn got up and hugged him so hard, Mr. Schue could barely breathe.

"Nothing's set in stone yet, but you're just in time for second semester applications, and I already sent those in along with your resume with the help from your mom. We should hear back from them in a couple months."

"You're the best teacher ever, Mr. Schue."

"Yeah, I know."

**So this story is coming to an end, only about 2-3 chapters left. Tell me what you think so far the reviews. Thanks! :D**


	6. Chapter 6

"Stop sulking around, Rachel. So what you didn't get the part? There are tons of other roles you'll get in the future," Santana said, trying to comfort Rachel.

"They said that I was perfect for Elphaba," Rachel cried.

"They probably said that to every other person who auditioned. Come on, let's go out for the night. I'll get Kurt out of his room."

"I'm not really in the mood to go to another party, Santana."

"Don't worry, it's not a party. Hey Hummel! Get your ass out of bed and come out here!" Santana shouted from the living room.

"Ugh, what now?" Kurt grumbled. He had barely gotten any sleep for the past two nights in a row, because of pulling all-nighters with Isabelle for new ideas and trends.

"Get your coat. We're going out," Santana said, grabbing her purse. Let's go.

* * *

"So where exactly are we going?" Kurt asked while the three of them were on the subway.

"It's a surprise. But you'll like it," the Latina winked.

The trio got off the subway around Midtown, and walked a couple blocks to what looked like an abandoned bowling alley.

"So this is your super secret surprise? A bowling alley?" Rachel asked, unimpressed, wishing she was back home.

"Yep," Santana said, getting a key out from her pocket.

"Are we sneaking in? Can't we get in trouble for this?" Rachel whispered.

"Calm your tits, Berry. We're not sneaking in. My photographer owns this place and he let me have the place for the night." She opened the door and turned the lights on. "Let's have some fun!"

The bowling alley was huge. There were over a dozen lanes and there were vending machines, and even a snack and drink bar.

Rachel sighed. The last time she was a bowling alley was with Finn on their first real date.

"Hey, just forget about him. Have some fun for one night," Kurt said to her.

_Wow_, she thought. It was crazy how well he knew her.

"Alright, let's get this party started!" Santana shouted, and turned on the music. She got a bowling ball, and in her five inch heels, she clumsily rolled the ball down the aisle. It immediately went straight into the gutter. "Shit. I suck at this."

"Maybe if you were wearing appropriate shoes, it would work," Kurt laughed, and handed her a pair of bowling shoes.

The next time she tried, the ball knocked down eight pins. "Yeah, that's how we do it in Lima Heights!" She yelled.

"Okay okay, my turn!" Kurt got up and grabbed a ball. He closed his eyes and let go of the ball. It knocked over all the pins.

"Holy crap, Hummel. Where did you learn to do that?" Santana asked, amazed.

"I'm an expert at bowling," Kurt grinned.

"Damn," Santana muttered under her breath.

"Alright, let me try," Rachel said. Kurt handed her a pink ball. She put her three fingers into the holes, not even thinking about the germs and diseases that could be in there.

"Here goes nothing," she said, and rolled the ball down the aisle. It went straight into the gutter.

"Ha! You suck, Berry!" Santana yelled.

"Shut up. I just haven't done this in a while," Rachel defended.

They bowled for a few more hours until Rachel checked her phone and saw what time was.

"Guys, it's almost two in the morning. Maybe we should get home."

"You're such a party pooper, Rachel!" Santana shouted, filling up her cup with more beer.

"Come on, I'm serious. You have work tomorrow, and I have school."

"Ugh, fine. You guys suck. Let's go."

"We love you, Santana," Kurt and Rachel said simultaneously.

"Whatever," Santana grumbled.

* * *

Wow. Time went by fast. It was already December. It felt like just yesterday that Finn knocked on Rachel's apartment door and saw her with Brody. Man, how things have changed since then.

It was around 8 pm and Finn was working at Burt's tire shop for some extra money. He still hadn't heard from Columbia University, but he should soon.

"Hey Finn," Burt said, walking into the shop. "Can I talk to you for a sec?"

"Yeah, what is it?"

"So I know that you've been working real hard here at the tire shop, and you've been directing the glee club, and I just wanted to let you know how proud your mom and I are of you."

"Thanks Burt, that really means a lot-"

"I'm not done yet," Burt kindly interrupted. "Because your mom and I are so proud of you, we saved up some money for you to use when you go to New York."

Finn looked at him. "I-I can't take this," he shook his head.

"Yes you can, Finn. You deserve it. Go to New York and go find Rachel," Burt grinned, handing his stepson the envelope full of cash.

"Thank you so much. I won't let you down." Finn got up and hugged him.

"Go chase your dream."

**Tell me what you think so far in the reviews :) Thanks for reading, chapter 7 should be up soon.**


	7. Chapter 7

Finn was sitting in his room on his computer, looking up how much plane tickets to new York cost. Even if he didn't get into Columbia, he would still go to New York and find a job. He was sure of it this time.

"Finn!" His mother called from downstairs, "There's a letter here for you."

Finn ran downstairs and grabbed the envelope from the table. _This is it_, he thought. His whole future, in one letter.

Taking deep breaths, he carefully opened the envelope and took out an official looking letter.

_Dear Finn Hudson,_

_ We here at Columbia University are honored to tell you that you have been accepted into the Music Teaching Program. We feel that you would make an excellent addition... _

Finn didn't even need to read the rest of it. "I got in!" He shouted.

"I'm so proud of you, Finn!" His mother cried, and hugged him tightly.

Finn ran back up to his room after. His first instinct was to call Rachel, but she probably didn't want to hear from him. So he called Kurt instead to tell him the great news.

* * *

Kurt was in his room, trying to rearrange a painting that hung over his bed, when his phone started ringing.

"Kurt Hummel speaking, how may I help you?"

"Kurt? Dude, it's Finn. Guess what?"

"I'm afraid to ask, but what?"

"I'm moving to New York. I got accepted into Columbia University for teaching music."

"Oh my god Finn, that's amazing. Have you told Rachel yet?"

"No, but I was thinking of surprising her. She's not dating anyone now, is she?" Finn asked, suddenly worried.

"No Finn, she's not, but I know that she really wants to be back with you."

"Really?"

"Yep. More than anything."

"That's awesome. So I was thinking that maybe you and Santana could help me out with surprising her."

"Cool. Sounds like a plan. Talk to you later, Finn."

"Bye, Kurt." Finn got off the phone and immediately bought a plane ticket to the city. His flight would be on December 17. Rachel's birthday.

_Perfect._

* * *

Kurt waited for Santana to come home so he could tell her the news. Finn told him all his flight information, and Kurt came up with a bunch of ideas on how this will all go down.

"I'm home!" Santana called out from the doorway.

"Where's Rachel?" Kurt asked as Santana grabbed a beer from the fridge and walked into her room.

"She's out studying for some huge test. Won't be home for a few hours."

"Okay, great. I need to tell you something huge.

* * *

"He's coming back on her birthday? Wow, that can't be just a coincidence," Santana said after Kurt told her everything.

"I know. I guess the universe really wants them together."

"Okay, so we've got to come up with a good plan. This has to work."

"Oh wow. I thought you would be against helping Finn get back together with Rachel," Kurt said.

"I just want to see her happy," Santana said truthfully. "And if he moves here, it will be one more person paying rent, so that will be good."

Kurt and Santana spent the next few hours coming up with the perfect plan for how Finn and Rachel should reunite.

"Hey guys, I'm home," Rachel shouted a couple hours later.

Kurt and Santana scrambled to get all their papers and notes out of sight, and calmly walked into the living room to join her.

"So, Rachel," Kurt said after they all settled down on the couch. "What do you want to do for your birthday tomorrow?"

Rachel thought for a minute. "I was actually kind of hoping that maybe we could just stay here at the apartment. I don't really feel like going out to celebrate."

A genius idea popped into Kurt's head. "Yeah, we can totally do that, Rachel. Just leave it to us," he said, and put his arms around Santana.

"Thanks guys. I'm going to go to sleep. See you in the morning." Rachel yawned and headed off to her room.

"Alright Lady Hummel, what's the new plan?" Santana asked after Rachel went to sleep.

Kurt told her what he was thinking of doing, and Santana grinned. "That's awesome," she said, high-fiving him. "Let's just hope that it works."

"Oh it will," Kurt said confidently. It will work."

**Tell me what you think in the reviews. Thanks for reading :) Chapter 8 should be up soon.**


	8. Chapter 8

**So, this is the final chapter. Sorry the whole story is kind of short, this is my first ever chaptered fic, but the next one I do will be longer. Leave me prompts on my tumblr, iheartfinchel0 if you want.**

Finn got on the plane the next day, and was suddenly overcome with nerves. What if she doesn't forgive me? He thought. What if she just rejects me? Or worse, what if she laughs in my face? No. He shook all those thoughts out of his head. This was going to work. He spent hours rehearsing how this would all go down with Kurt and Santana over the phone. He was ready. And this was Rachel he was talking about. She would never laugh in his face.  
**  
**He spent the whole flight fantasizing about the things he and Rachel could do in New York together. They could go to all the Broadway musicals she loved, they could go to Rockefeller Center at Christmastime for ice skating, they could have romantic picnics in Central Park. He couldn't wait. He was also thinking of proposing to her again sometime in the future, the ring safely tucked into the pocket of his duffel bag.  
**  
**The plane landed at JFK and Finn got off, quickly finding a taxi and headed off to Rachel's apartment.

* * *

"Oh, this dress is perfect on you, Rachel!" Kurt gushed, and took pictures of her.  
**  
**"Yeah, I guess it's nice," Rachel said, gesturing to the cute pink frilly dress she had on, "But why do I need to wear it? It's just us celebrating here."  
**  
**"Come on, it's your birthday. You need to get dressed up."  
**  
**"Alright fine," Rachel giggled, and twirled around the room.  
**  
**Santana's phone started ringing, the Oompa Loompa song blaring from the tiny device. Finn was calling.  
**  
**"Um, I gotta take this. Be right back," she said, and went out the front door to get Finn.  
**  
**"Frankenteen! It's good to see you," Santana exclaimed as she greeted Finn outside the apartment.  
**  
**"It's good to see you too, Santana." Finn hugged her tightly. "So, the plan's all in order?"  
**  
**"Yep. She has no idea. Now come on. Let's go up the back way so she doesn't see us."  
**  
**Finn and Santana went up the back way, and climbed through Santana's bedroom window to get in.  
**  
**"Stay here," she ordered.  
**  
**"Hey, sorry about that. I was just getting your birthday present, Rachel," Santana said, swiftly walking into the living room, winking at Kurt. She was holding a cardboard box in one hand, and a card in the other.  
**  
**"Okay, close your eyes," Kurt instructed.  
**  
**Rachel closed her eyes while Kurt and Santana got the cake out of the box, making sure the writing on it was perfect. Santana placed the birthday card on the table next to it.  
**  
**"And, open!" Kurt and Santana shouted together.  
**  
**"Rachel opened her eyes and saw the cake first. "Happy birthday Rach, hope you like the surprise," she read. "What surprise? And you guys never call me 'Rach.' The only one who does that is-"  
**  
**"Just read the card," Kurt said, shoving it in her face.  
**  
**She opened it, and a bunch of papers fell out of it. She picked them up and read what was on them. "It's an acceptance letter into Columbia University," she said, obviously confused. "But I didn't apply, and neither did any of you."  
**  
**"No, but I did," a voice said from down the hall.  
**  
**"F-Finn?" Rachel choked out. "W-what are you doing here?"  
**  
**"I, uh, I applied to Columbia for the music teaching program, and I got in. Surprising, right? I just wanted to make you proud," Finn said, his voice cracking a little.  
**  
**"B-but I don't understand. How-"  
**  
**"Finn called me a couple days ago, telling me everything that happened. Santana and I hated seeing you so miserable, so we kind of came up with a plan to get you guys to reunite," Kurt interrupted.  
**  
**"I'm really sorry I didn't tell you, but I wanted this to be a surprise," Finn said.  
**  
**"I-I'm not mad," Rachel said, taking his hand. "I'm so proud of you."  
**  
**Finn lost it then. He picked her up and spun her around, tears streaming down his face. "I've missed you so much, Rach."  
**  
**"I've missed you too, Finn," Rachel said, crying as well.  
**  
**"I'm sorry for everything. For leaving you, for not calling, everything." Finn put her down and stared straight into her chocolate brown eyes.  
**  
**"I'm sorry too, for everything with Brody."  
**  
**"I forgive you. How about we just forget everything and start all over," Finn said.  
**  
**"Yeah, I'd like that," Rachel whispered, and kissed him passionately on the lips.  
**  
**Right when their lips touched, they felt at home. Without pulling apart, he picked her up and spun her around again. They were about to take it a step further, when Kurt cleared his throat.  
**  
**"Look, this is all sweet and romantic and everything, but can we get on with the birthday celebration?"  
**  
**"Sorry," Finn and Rachel said together. They walked over to the couch and sat down, their fingers intertwining.  
**  
**"We have one more present," Kurt said. "It hasn't come yet, but it should be here soon."  
**  
**"Well I don't think anything can top this present," Rachel said, and kissed Finn on the cheek.  
**  
**"No, but it's an add-on to it," Kurt said, handing the couple the receipt to his present.  
**  
**"A king size bed?" Rachel asked when she looked at what Kurt had ordered.  
**  
**"Yeah, well if it's okay with you, I mean, we kind of thought that Finn would move in with us here, and if you two were to get back together, then-"  
**  
**"No, it's perfect. And of course Finn can move here, and I want more than anything for us to be back together," Rachel said, tears gathering in her eyes. "I love you so much Finn. I never stopped."  
**  
**"I love you too, Rach." Finn kissed her again.  
**  
**"Alright, well my present is to Kurt and myself," Santana said, handing Kurt a tiny box. "They're earplugs. You know, so we don't have to listen to them doing whatever the hell they do."  
**  
**"Shut up!" Rachel snickered, and playfully smacked Santana's arm.  
**  
**"Hey look, it's snowing," Finn said, and ran over to the window. The others followed him. They stood next to the Christmas tree and spent the rest of the night admiring the beautiful snowflakes that were coming down. Rachel smiled to herself. Things were finally falling into place. She felt complete. She looked over at Finn, who was smiling back at her, probably thinking the exact same thing. They were finally together again, and this time, stronger than ever.  
**  
**They weren't going to let anything tear them apart.

* * *

**Yeah, I know the ending is kind of cheesy :/ Anyway, thank you all soooooo much for reviewing, following, and favoriting this story, it means so much. Sent me prompts at my tumblr iheartfinchel0 whenever you want, or if you just want to say hi :) Thank you everyone for reading, and I'll be posting a bunch of little Finchel drabbles soon. If you guys want, I can make an epilogue for this story sometime in the future, so just let me know if you want one. **


End file.
